A large-scale study of binding communication to promote ecological Behavior: the commitment technique combined with persuasive communication in mass media streaming

The climate emergency necessitates the adoption of effective communication strategies. While persuasive communication is easily scalable, its effectiveness at changing behavior is limited. In contrast, commitment techniques, such as foot-in-the-door and low-ball techniques, are more effective for behavior change but harder to scale. In this study, we test the effectiveness of combining a commitment strategy with persuasive communication in the streaming broadcast of an audiovisual show. Study 1, conducted in an “as if" setting with a full experimental design ( N = 1003), showed that incorporating a commitment strategy into persuasive communication effectively promoted pro-ecological behavior, although it did not lead to a significant change in attitudes. In Study 2, conducted in an ecological setting during a live broadcast of an international rugby tournament ( N = 240,245), we showed that combining commitment and persuasive strategies increased the intention to engage in behaviors that reduce digital pollution. • This research represents the first attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of binding communication through mass media. • This research addresses methodological limits in binding communication studies with large samples (n = 1003; n = 240,245). • This research moved from lab to large-scale field setting, testing effectiveness in both controlled and real-world conditions. • We show that scaling behavioral strategies is key to promoting sustainable behaviors broadly and tackling climate emergency.